Tax Deed Sales

TO: Our Tax Deed Sale Customers

EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately

SUBJECT: NOTICEContact Information: (850) 926-0326 or (850) 926-0322

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDINGTAX DEED BIDDING REGISTRATION

DUE TO LIMITED STAFF AND TIME, ALL BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO BE REGISTERED BY 9:45 AM THE DAY OF THE SALE. BIDDERS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO REGISTER AFTER 9:45 AM AND WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SALE.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PRE-REGISTER, PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR A BIDDERS FORM. ALL BIDDER FORMS MUST BE HAND DELIVERED TO THE CLERKS OFFICE. NO ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCECPTED.
Before the sale begins, everyone should be aware of the requirements
of Florida Law. All sales are for cash. This can be a certified
cashier's check or a money order. Anyone bidding on the property
should have already made financial arrangements so that they can
meet the requirements of the sale. If the balance of the bid is not
received by 4:00 p.m. on the day of the sale, it may be necessary to
void the sale and advertise the property for resale. If this occurs,
the initial $200.00 or 5% deposit shall be used by the court to pay
all costs of the sale and any amount remaining is directed to be
applied toward the judgment.

The successful bidder is also required to
pay for the documentary stamps on the Tax Deed, and any other fees
for recording said Tax Deed. A purchaser at a judicial sale takes
the property subject to any defects, liens, encumbrances and all
matters of which he/she has notice or of which he/she could have
obtained knowledge.

Tax Deed Sales deal with the selling of property to the highest bidder at a public auction in order to recover delinquent property taxes. A tax deed sale occurs after an owner of a Tax Certificate applies to the Tax Collector for a Tax Deed.

Tax Deed Sales are usually held on a Wednesday as advertised for a period of four (4) consecutive weeks in the Wakulla News (Local Newspaper). The sale takes place, usually at 10:00 a.m. at the Wakulla County Court House located at 3056 Crawfordville Hwy Crawfordville FL. It is held in the main lobby area located on the first floor of the Courthouse.

Remember this is a "BUYER BEWARE" situation. Each buyer must conduct his or her own due diligence search. Due diligence includes but is not limited to, conducting an independent search to insure that you are aware of any liens or encumbrances on the property.

We ask that you would please arrive at least 30 min before the sale start time. You will be asked for your ID and to fill out an "Intent to Bid" form. You may pre-register. You can find a copy of the "Intent to Bid" form on our website in the forms section.

In accordance with Section 197.542(2), F.S. the high bidder shall post with the Clerk a non-refundable cash deposit of $200 or 5% of the winning bid, whichever is greater, at the time of the sale. This can be either cash, money order or cashier check. NO PERSONAL CHECKS ARE ACCEPTED.

Bidders may be required or asked to show their willingness and ability to post the deposit prior to the sale.

Once the sale has started the tax deed file will remain with the Deputy Clerk.

If you need to view the file please do so prior to the start of the sale. If you need to view a file we ask that you do so 24 hours before the sale date.

A tax deed sale works the same way as any auction. Bidding will start with the statutory opening bid amount. This amount will differ with each tax deed application. The sale will continue until the bidding stops in which the highest bidder will be the considered the successful bidder. All parties are asked to refrain from conversation while a sale is being conducted.

Once the sale is over all successful bidders will be required to come into the Clerks Office Recording Dept. and post their cash deposit. Each successful bidder will be dealt with on an individual basis. At that time the successful bidder will be given the total amount due. This will include; the successful bid amount, documentary stamp fee’s, recording fees, and any other applicable fees.

All fees are due and payment is expected by 4:00 p.m. the day of the sale.

Section 197.542(2), F.S. states: "the clerk may refuse to recognize the bid of any person who has previously bid and refused, for any reason, to honor such bid." Therefore, those individuals would not be allowed to bid at any future tax deed sales. Also, the property will be re-advertised for two weeks in the local paper and then sold to the highest bidder at another public auction. All monies received for the deposit (5% or $200.00) will be used to pay the fees to process a new sale.

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT TAX DEEDS ARE GOVERNED BY FLORIDA STATUTES AND THAT THE CLERKS OFFICE CANNOT OFFER ANY LEGAL ADVICE. SHOULD YOU REQUIRE LEGAL ADVICE PLEASE CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY.

Click on the links below for the Tax Deed images. They can take a while to download.

Please note: Tax Deed Files are in .PDF form. In order to view them you must have at least Adobe Reader.
If you do not already have this program installed click here and
install it.

Public record requests for information about Tax Deeds which were sold at auction should be directed toreceptionist@wakullaclerk.com . Please clearly state the specific information you seek. Public records will be handled in a timely manner per Florida Statute 119.